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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25160830">For the Good of Kadara</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreadwolftakethem/pseuds/dreadwolftakethem'>dreadwolftakethem</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Flirting, Okay There's a LITTLE Plot, Other, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Rough Kissing, Shameless Smut, Smut</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:42:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,585</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25160830</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreadwolftakethem/pseuds/dreadwolftakethem</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sara Ryder just wanted a little bit of fun with Reyes Vidal, and then she had to go let feelings get mixed into it. Allegedly.</p><p>*</p><p>I wanted more for Ryder and Vidal's romance in the game, so here we are. I started writing it as smut, but then it got plotty on me, so I've had to reorder the chapters a bit.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Female Ryder | Sara/Reyes Vidal, Ryder/Reyes Vidal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first fic in years, so please be gentle. I'm a little rusty! Thanks for reading!!!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ryder needs some time away from The Tempest and finds herself in Tartarus.</p><p>A re-imagined version of Ryder and Reyes' meeting after she gets information from Vehn Terev about the Kett, but before she goes into the badlands to find the information.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ryder leaned against the bar of Kralla's Song, spinning a glass of whiskey slowly in her fingers. She had spent her day glued to the vidcom in the Tempest as first Addison, and then Tann, and then Kandros, had schedules meetings with her to discuss the (pitiful) progress on Kadara. She had barely spoken to Sloane Kelly about Vehn Terev before the impatient administrators were on her back.</p><p>The meetings had left her irritable and with a need to get away from the ship for a while. If the meetings hadn’t taken so damned long she would have gathered her team and gone to start hunting for the data Vehn Terev had mentioned, but it was nearly dark by the time she had finally walked away from the briefings. Far too late for a trip to the badlands. She hadn’t exactly planned on ending up in Kralla's, but whiskey was tolerable and she was slightly less likely to get a knife between her ribs here than in Tartarus.</p><p>“You look like you’re waiting for someone.”</p><p>She turned, a smile already playing at the corner of her lips as Reyes Vidal settled in next to her at the bar. “Is that your new pick up line?”</p><p>He chuckled. “You tell me.”</p><p>Ryder responded by smirking into her drink, surveying him over the rim of the glass as she took a sip of the contents. She swallowed, wrinkling her nose slightly at the disappointing drink. Good whiskey was hard to find in Helius - she had hoped Kralla's would have a better supply but apparently not.</p><p>“I hope you got what you needed from Vehn Terev before he lost his head.”</p><p>She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She wondered what Evfra’s reaction had been when he found out she made a deal with Sloane Kelly - the angaran had wanted to kill Terev himself. “Sloane and I came to an understanding. I talked to him before...well, you know.”</p><p>Vidal hummed appreciatively. “I’m impressed. Didn’t think she could be reasoned with.”</p><p>“I’m just that good.”</p><p>“Apparently.”</p><p>Ryder tipped the rest of the contents of her glass into the rest of her mouth. “I better get going.”</p><p>She started to turn away, but Vidal caught her arm. “Ryder. Don’t take this the wrong way but...you’re really not liked here. In Kadara Port.”</p><p>She feigned a deep wound. “Ouch.”</p><p>“What I’m saying is - you need a friend. Someone on the inside to help you out. I can be that guy. You need intel on exiles, Sloane, whatever - come to me.”</p><p>Something about the way his voice dipped at the words <em> come to me </em> sent a shiver up Ryder’s spine. She was suddenly very aware of their close proximity; the way his fingers gripped her elbow, firm, yet tender; the slight curve of his lips…</p><p>Christ, the whiskey had gone straight to her head.</p><p>“Thanks,” she said quietly, heat rising in her cheeks. “I think.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ryder is exhausted after a helluva day in the badlands, and just wants a little peace and quiet. But Reyes owes her a drink and has other ideas.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kadara frequently had the ability to take Ryder’s breath away with its beauty. The landscape was deadly, but she had never seen anything so lovely in the Milky Way. She just had to ignore the constant scent of sulfur and piss that lingered through the entire settlement of Kadara Port to enjoy it.</p><p>She, Drack and Vetra had just returned to the Port from the badlands, and while the other two stuck around the Port to finish up some business, Ryder quickly returned to her quarters on the Tempest. She had a mission brief to write and she desperately needed a shower.</p><p>They had witnessed some gruesome shit down the mountain. Desperate turians luring desperate humans to an out of the way hovel with the promise of freedom, only to butcher and eat them. Ryder couldn’t shake the queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach and frankly, the detritus stuck in her hair wasn’t helping matters.</p><p>Ryder let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding as the door to her quarters closed with a soft hiss behind her. She kicked off her boots and had to force herself not to fall into her bed. She hadn’t been with the Alliance for years – well, technically over 600 years, she still struggled to get her mind around that – but she still revelled in the comforts of a non-military life. Instead, she shuffled towards her shower, peeling off layers of sweat-slicked clothes as she went.</p><p><em>“Ryder, are you well?”</em> SAM’s voice echoed through her chambers as she adjusted the water temperature.</p><p>“Just tired, SAM.” Ryder responded automatically. She could feel SAM’s doubt tickling in the back of her mind and she sighed. “I’ll be fine.”</p><p>
  <em> “Perhaps Dr. T’Perro could be of some assistance.” </em>
</p><p>Ryder shook her head but didn’t respond. Instead, she stepped into the shower and let the warm water cascade over her. Water was limited on the Tempest, and although Gil had provided her with an override code that would allow her to have a long, luxuriously hot shower, she couldn’t bring herself to use it. Not when water was such a precious commodity for the Nexus. So she wasn’t going to stand around arguing with SAM while she was using up her precious shower time.</p><p>By the time she was clean, she felt slightly better. Imagining the weight on her shoulders wash away as water ran over her had always helped her feel better when she experienced particularly gruesome shit in the Milky Way. Turns out it still works 600 years later in an entirely new galaxy. </p><p>She had just sat down with a datapad and begun to write her mission report when her door chimed. She forced herself not to groan and instead invited her visitor to enter.</p><p>She was not expecting Reyes Vidal to be on the other side of the door.</p><p>Sara’s mouth fell open when she saw him and she scrambled to her feet. “Reyes! What – how did you get on my ship?” Kallo would have alerted her when he boarded…</p><p>Reyes held up a bottle in a way of explanation. “I believe I owe you a drink.”</p><p>“I-“ She pushed her still-wet hair away from her face, suddenly very glad she had decided to wear more than just a towel. <em>Fuck </em>. “Uhm, come on in.”</p><p>She gestured at the chair across from the one she had been sitting in. He produced a pair of glasses from his pockets and Ryder rolled her eyes. “We have glasses here, y’know.”</p><p>“I like to come prepared.”</p><p>“I bet you do.”</p><p>Reyes raised an eyebrow at her and she flushed. “Uhm.” She wasn’t normally this tongue-tied around him and it was infuriating. She pushed her fingers through her hair again, frustrated that it insisted on falling into her eyes.</p><p>Reyes chuckled quietly. “Why Ryder, you look flustered.”</p><p>Ryder grunted and sank back into her chair. “You caught me off guard.” She admitted. “That last excursion into the badlands…” The memory of pools of blood on the floor and a single terrified human in a cell came flooding back and she flinched. “It was rough.”</p><p>Reyes’ eyebrows knitted together and he passed her a glass of whiskey. She tossed back the glass and Reyes refilled it, a slight smirk at the corner of his lips. “Ah, she likes her whiskey.”</p><p>Ryder chuckled and toasted the air. “Alliance Proud.”</p><p>“Do you want to talk about it?”</p><p>Ryder had been about to take the second shot but paused with the glass part way to her lips and considered him for a moment. She shook her head. “No.”</p><p>Reyes let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Good. Drink up.”</p><p>Ryder grinned and lounged back into her chair, rolling the glass between her fingers, enjoying the smokey scent of the whiskey wafting towards her. She watched him, considering. He wanted something of her, she was sure. She very much doubted Reyes Vidal ever did anything without an agenda. And he was dangerous – she had seen how he could handle a weapon when they were facing off against the Roekaar. And he was a smuggler. She should keep her wits about her. Still…</p><p>“Are you trying to get me drunk, Vidal?”</p><p>He grinned wickedly. “Why, is it working?”</p><p>She smiled into her glass and tipped the drink into her mouth. Then handed it to him. “You’ll have to do much better than that.”</p><p>Some time – and nearly a full bottle of whiskey later – Ryder was standing at her viewport, watching the sun set behind Kadara Port, feeling slightly wobbly on her feet. A smile played at her lips as she watched shuttles fly past the viewport. Reyes approached her from behind, his voice little more than a whisper. “There is nothing like a sunset on Kadara. Though, the nights are perhaps even more lovely.” He chuckled quietly. “The deadly environment creates the most magnificent light shows.”</p><p>Ryder grinned and turned to face him, stumbling ever so slightly. “You’ll have to show me.”</p><p>His breath smelled of the whiskey, the smokey oak scent intoxicating her senses as she pulled him to her. Their mouths clashed clumsily, their coordination thrown off from the drink. But Reyes found his footing quickly, his hair tangling in her short hair, deepening the kiss. Her body seemed to sing for him – she needed him closer, closer, closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body to his, savouring the feeling of him against her, the taste of his tongue in her mouth, his fingers in her hair.</p><p>And then her damned omni-tool chirped. “Ryder, do you have a minute?” Cora’s voice floated out from the device, and Ryder could have thrown the damned thing against a wall. For a moment, for one brief, lovely moment, she considered it.</p><p>She pulled away from Reyes to respond, but he captured her mouth in another kiss, backing her against the viewport. Her surprise was muffled against his mouth, but his kisses were not unwelcome. She could have sunk into him, to ignore her duties and…  “Reyes.” She gasped between kisses. “I have to-“</p><p>“They’ve had you since cryo. My turn.” He growled into her neck, nipping her ear. He left a trail of kisses down her neck and Ryder bit her lip, trying to stifle a moan. <em> Fuck </em>.</p><p>Every touch left a trail of tingling fire running across her skin, ever kiss sent her reeling. But she was the Pathfinder. She had responsibilities.</p><p>Gently, she pushed him backwards a few steps. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>She moved around him, avoiding his gaze, just as her door pinged. Ryder grimaced and made her way around their abandoned whiskey glasses, attempting to straighten her thoroughly mussed hair. She could feel Reyes’ gaze on her back as she answered the door.</p><p>“Cora, hey. What’s up?”</p><p>Ryder tried to block the commando’s view into the room but was entirely unsuccessful. Cora blinked in surprise. “Oh.”</p><p>Ryder flushed and ran a hand through her hair..She could imagine how the scene looked to Cora: discarded glasses, a forgotten bottle of whiskey, Reyes Vidal and a rumpled looking Pathfinder. She cleared her throat awkwardly. “What do you need?”</p><p>Cora turned her gaze back to Ryder. “There’s been news of Ark Leusinia.”</p><p><em> Ah </em>. “Right. Uhm. Give me a few minutes and gather everyone for a briefing.”</p><p>Cora nodded and turned to leave, glancing into the room once more before retreating. Ryder turned and found Reyes already picking up his things to leave. “Reyes…”</p><p>He held up a hand, smiling gently. “You are a busy person, Pathfinder.” He stopped in front of her, surveying her face. She shifted uncomfortably. “Do try to carve some time out of that busy schedule for yourself.”</p><p>And then he kissed her again. She could have forgotten all of her responsibilities in that moment. She moved towards him, but then he pulled away and left her there, breathless and with very few wits left to lead a briefing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ryder and co. help Vidal out with a little ex-girlfriend problem, romance ensues. We get to Sloane's party and the cute little sunset rooftop rendezvous...and finally some smut. It's a long one, but didn't feel right to split up into multiple chapters.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ryder, Cora and Liam rode the lift from the slums to Kadara Port in silence. The usual banter between them gave way to exhaustion after a long day in the badlands, and on Ryder’s part, confusion. They thought they were helping Reyes Vidal get back stolen cargo and instead...they ended up facing off against his ex and a handful of other smugglers who had decided he was getting too big for his britches. There was something niggling at the back of her brain that she couldn’t quite figure out, something raising red flags.</p><p>The elevator door opened and the trio spilled out into Kadara Port. “Pathfinder, Cora, drinks?” Liam asked, palming his helmet and tucking it under his arm.</p><p>Ryder pulled her helmet off, holding it loosely in her hand. She stretched her neck, considering. She could go for some down time with friends, but Cora was already putting Liam off, and Ryder wasn’t sure she was up for Liam’s pep at full force. “Ask me again later,” she told him, “Tann will ride my ass if I don’t give him a progress update.” It wasn’t a lie - Tann had been negging her for an update on their progress on Kadara, but she still didn’t have a lot to tell him. They had the monoliths up and running and Kadara was becoming more habitable by the day, but they hadn’t made much progress since. Sloane Kelly was not eager to have more Initiative presence around.</p><p>Liam grumbled as they entered the Tempest, “Fine, I’ll find Drack.”</p><p>They made their way to the armoury, shucking the armor while Liam tried to get them to give their opinions on vids for their movie night. “Just pick something funny,” Cora suggested, “Everyone likes a funny vid.”</p><p>“That doesn’t exactly narrow it down,” Liam pointed out.</p><p>“What about the new Blasto vid? The one that came out right before we left? What was it, number 12?”</p><p>“Something like that,” Liam nodded, “Those are always good for a laugh, though I don’t think they’re meant to be comedies.”</p><p>Ryder grinned, “Definitely not.”</p><p>They parted ways then, Liam to find Drack, Cora to botany and Ryder to her quarters to work on her message to Tann.</p><p>“Pathfinder, you have a new message at the email terminal,” SAM told her as she entered her quarters.</p><p>“Thanks, SAM. Who from?”</p><p>“Reyes Vidal.”</p><p>Ryder’s stomach did a flip flop and she had to stop herself rolling her eyes at herself. She had just left Vidal down in the badlands an hour ago, and already the mention of his name excited her? Get a grip.</p><p>“Pathfinder, I have noticed a change in your reactions to Ryes Vidal since our return to Kadara,” SAM noted, “Your heart rate is elevated, your pupils dilate, and you touch your hair frequently. Are you well?”</p><p>Ryder flushed. “Yes. Uhm...maybe don’t mention that to the rest of the crew. Especially Lexi.”</p><p>“Of course, Sara.”</p><p>Ryder exhaled and sat down at her desk, pulling up her emails. She couldn’t resist reading Reyes’ first, even though she had half a dozen more important emails from the Nexus waiting for an answer. At least two were from Tann, marked important, and from the looks of it, it sounded like she was going to get a scolding.</p><p>About Zia…</p><p>In case you were wondering…<br/>
My taste in women has improved since I ended things with her.<br/>
Reyes</p><p>Ryder leaned back into her chair, grinning. “Pathfinder,” SAM interrupted, “Director Tann has sent another urgent email. He would like a status update.”</p><p>Ryder groaned, the grin falling from her face. “I know, I know.” She closed Vidal’s message. “Tell him I’ll have it to him by the morning.”</p><p>“He has requested a time of delivery, Pathfinder.”</p><p>Ryder rolled her eyes. For as much as he rode her ass, Tann sure didn’t make much progress on the Nexus itself. “Well, he can eat my ass, he’ll get it when he gets it.” She paused, “Don’t include that in the response, SAM.”</p><p>Vidal would have to wait. As much as she wanted to shirk her reports to Tann, she did need to send him something, or he would try to tell her that they had more important business off-planet. He couldn’t force her to leave, but would certainly do his damndest.</p><p>So, she decided to write the most tedious report in existence, just to spite him.</p><p>By the time she was finished her entirely too extensive report to Tann, it was dark outside. She stood, rolling her stiff shoulders, and grabbed her datapad. She began to flick through her unread emails as she moved toward the viewport, watching the green and blue and purple streaks dance across the sky.</p><p>Reyes had been right - Kadara had breathtaking night skies.</p><p>She set her datapad down and pushed her fingers through her hair. “SAM, is Liam still on the ship?”</p><p>“No, Pathfinder. He, Drack and Vetra left for Kralla’s Song an hour ago.”</p><p>“I’m going to join them. Notify the rest of the crew that I’ll be off ship.”</p><p>“Of course, Pathfinder.”</p><p>Ryder made her way slowly to Kralla’s Song, enjoying the relative quiet of Kadara Port at night. It never really got quiet, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. As she entered the bar, she cast her eyes around for a certain smuggler. It seemed everyone in the Port but Vidal were in the bar.</p><p>She tried to push him from her mind and found Liam, Drack and Vetra at the bar, fully into their cups. Drack’s voice was booming above the din as he explained one particularly gruesome time he smashed in a Kett’s face with his boot. Ryder grimaced as she approached. Vetra noticed her first, “Ryder! Liam told us you weren’t coming.”</p><p>Ryder shrugged, “Finally got Tann off my ass. What are we drinking?”</p><p>Drack clapped her on the shoulder, nearly sending her face-first into the bar. “Ha! That’s what I like about you, kid.”</p><p>Ryder straightened as Liam passed her a drink, “What’s that, Drack?”</p><p>“You tell Tann to shove his bureaucratic bullshit up his ass!”</p><p>“I wouldn’t say I-”</p><p>But Drack was already loudly shouting at the barkeep for another drink, drowning out her protests. She smiled and took a drink of whatever it was Liam had passed to her. She nearly spat it back into the cup - it was sickly sweet. “Liam,” she sputtered, “Are you trying to get me hopped up on sugar, or drunk?”</p><p>He laughed, “It’s an Angaran drink. Don’t ask me what it’s called, I can’t remember. But Jaal loves it.”</p><p>Ryder shook her head and stared at the cup doubtfully. “I’ll just have a whiskey.” She offered the cup back to Liam and made her way to the bar. “Hey Umi,” Ryder shouted over the music to the asari bartender, “whiskey sour.” The asari nodded, made her drink and slid it over to her. “Add it to my tab,” Ryder called as she started back towards the table.</p><p>“You better pay that tab!” Umi shouted back at Ryder’s retreating back. Ryder waved her off and sat down. She took a swig of the drink, much more to her taste than the angaran drink Liam had given her, and her omni tool pinged. “Message from Reyes Vidal,” SAM told her privately, “Would you like me to read it?”</p><p>“No, pull it up.”</p><p>Ryder to another swig from her drink as the message appeared above her wrist.</p><p>Call me</p><p>Ryder,<br/>
Thanks again for your help with Zia. And the Roekaar. I owe you something special. And I think I found just the thing. Give me a call when you have a minute.<br/>
Reyes</p><p>Ryder felt her cheeks get hot as she read the message. She bit her lip and pushed her fingers through her hair. </p><p>“Everything alright, Ryder?” Vetra asked, looking at her over her drink.</p><p>“What?” Ryder glanced up from Vidal’s message, “Oh, yeah. All good. SAM, acknowledge the message.”</p><p>She leaned forward, trying to listen to Drack and Liam argue about...football? Ryder shook her head - some things were not translatable between species, and it seemed the aging Krogan could not wrap his head around kicking a ball around a pitch. “But what’s the point?” Drack insisted, “If you want some fun...now hunting pyjak is some fun.”</p><p>Ryder grinned as she took a sip of her drink, watching as Liam became more and more indignant. Which, she suspected, was exactly what Drack wanted. Vetra chimed in every once in a while, supporting Drack just to egg Liam on.</p><p>Finally, Liam threw up his arms in dismay. “Pathfinder, back me up here,” he begged.</p><p>The three of them turned to look at her and she held her hands up in front of her, “Oh no, I’m just enjoying the show. Besides, I always preferred baseball.”</p><p>And then set Liam off on a whole new tirade about the merits of football versus other sports. She grinned at Vetra as Drack tried to compare football with Krogan games. </p><p>By the end of the night, she was feeling spectacularly drunk - quite a feat, now that she had SAM tapped into her nervous system - and felt she never wanted to talk about football again. “Well,” she slurred, leaning heavily into the Turian, “remind me never to get on Liam’s bad side. He doesn’t give up easily.”</p><p>Vetra chuckled, her mandibles flaring slightly, “He definitely doesn’t lack passion.”</p><p>Drack and Liam were just ahead of them, still arguing, making their way back to the ship.</p><p>“Hey Vetra?”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“I’m not sure I can make it back to the Tempest.”</p><p>Vetra laughed, and put a guiding arm around Ryder’s shoulder. “I’ve got you, Ryder.”</p><p>*</p><p>The next morning, Ryder’s head felt like it may split open. She laid in her bed far too long, willing her body to stop feeling like she had been trampled by a fiend, while she flipped through her messages. She landed back on Reyes Vidal’s message from the previous night.</p><p>Ryder,<br/>
Thanks again for your help with Zia. And the Roekaar. I owe you something special. And I think I found just the thing. Give me a call when you have a minute.<br/>
Reyes</p><p>Something special he said. She grinned into her pillow, biting her lip. She tried to not to let her imagination get away from her, but after their last encounter she had hardly been able to keep him off of her mind. Her stomach churned with excitement. Or maybe that was queasiness from too much drink. She groaned and sat up, massaging her temples. “SAM, remind me never to drink that much again.”</p><p>“When would you like me to set the reminder for, Sara?”</p><p>Ryder groaned again and grumbled, “Never mind.”</p><p>“Pathfinder, reminder that Kaetus had asked you to look into a Kett presence in the badlands.”</p><p>Shit. She had forgotten after the business with Zia. She had intended to investigate after finding Reyes’ crates but...well that hadn’t happened. “Alert Jaal and Drack that we’ll be heading down there this morning.”</p><p>SAM chimed his ascent and Ryder pulled herself out of bed, raking a hand through her sleep-mussed hair. She needed to get her shit together if she was going Kett hunting.</p><p>Ryder attempted to pull herself together with a hot shower, but still managed to look half dead when she entered the kitchen in search of coffee and breakfast. Cora was there, stirring a cup of coffee. She quirked an eyebrow at Ryder, “You look worse than Liam.”</p><p>Ryder grunted. “Coffee?”</p><p>Cora motioned behind her to the pot, “Freshly made.”</p><p>“Thanks, Cora.” Ryder poured herself a cup, inhaling deeply over the pot. “I’d kill for some bacon.”</p><p>Cora sighed appreciatively, “And fresh eggs. With a side of strawberries.”</p><p>Ryder’s eyes bulged, “Oh my god, strawberries. I miss strawberries.”</p><p>“Instead, we get this.” Cora held up a ration bar, “Mmm...protein.”</p><p>Ryder laughed, but immediately regretted it as her head twanged. “Ah, fuck.” She massaged her head with her free hand, trying to ease the stabbing.</p><p>“You’d better go see Lexi about that hangover before you go in the field,” Cora frowned, setting her cup down.</p><p>Ryder scrunched up her nose, but nodded. “You’re probably right.”</p><p>“Pathfinder, Dr. T’Perro is in medbay.”</p><p>Ryder excused herself, but instead of walking down the hallway to medbay, she made her way to the vid com. “SAM, call Reyes Vidal.”</p><p>A moment later, Vidal’s form flickered into existence to her right. “Ryder, I was just thinking about you.”</p><p>Ryder smirked, despite her throbbing head, “I’d love to hear more, but this isn’t a private channel.”</p><p>“I could tell you over drinks,” Vidal suggested with a wink.</p><p>“Pathfinder, with your current physical well-being, I would not suggest imbibing more alcohol.”</p><p>Ryder cleared her throat loudly, trying to cover up SAM’s voice, but Reyes was already looking amused. He had obviously heard SAM. “Your message said you had an idea of how to pay me back for my...dedication...to your cause?” </p><p>Reyes shrugged, “I thought you could use a night off.” He paused, giving her a once over. “You do look like shit, though.”</p><p>Ryder glowered. “Gee, thanks.”</p><p>“Sloane’s holding a get together for the locals,” he continued, “I managed to snag an invite. Care to be my plus one?”</p><p>Ryder cocked her head to the side, a jolt of excitement running through her. “Is this a date?”</p><p>“I promise to be the perfect gentleman.”</p><p>“And if I don’t want you to be a gentleman?”</p><p>Reyes leaned closer to her through the vidcom and purred, “That can be arranged.” </p><p>That almost sounds like a promise. Another jolt went through her, and she had to stop herself from biting her lip. “I’ll never say no to free drinks.”</p><p>Reyes grinned, a wicked glint in his eye. “Especially from Sloane’s private reserve. Meet me outside Outcast HQ. I’ll send you the details.”</p><p>And just like that, he was gone. Ryder couldn’t help but feeling a little disappointed at the short conversation. “Pathfinder, I would like to remind you of your request this morning,” SAM said via their private channel.</p><p>“SAM, are you scolding me?” she asked, as she began down the ramp to the main deck.</p><p>“No, Pathfinder, merely reminding you of your request that I remind you ‘never to drink that much again.’ Also, Dr. T’Perro would like to see you. She is still in medbay.”</p><p>“Did you tell on me?!” she asked indignantly. SAM was decidedly quiet. “Traitor,” she mumbled as she descended the ladder towards medbay.</p><p>Lexi was not impressed with Ryder. It turns out, both Cora and SAM had ratted her out to the good doctor, and she got an earful about unwinding responsibly and how Kadara Port wasn’t safe. She felt like a teenager all over again, enduring a lecture about breaking curfew from her father. </p><p>But it was all worth it after Lexi had pumped her body full of electrolytes and given her a dose of pain killers for the headache. Though the doctor only let her leave medbay with a promise to drink at least 3 litres of water throughout the day.</p><p>Ryder, Jaal and Drack spent the majority of the day in the badlands hunting Kett. It turned out Kaetus had been right - there was a small cell still hiding out in some caves and the Pathfinder’s team worked with Kaetus and Sloane Kelly herself to clear them out. Kelly had even seemed a little grateful at the end.</p><p>By that point, it was nearly time for her to go meet Ryes at Kelly’s party. She hadn’t mentioned to the Outcast leader that she would be going, and honestly? She was looking forward to the look on Kelly’s face when she showed up.</p><p>*</p><p>They hadn’t been at the party for 15 minutes before Reyes had disappeared with a smile and a promise to make it up to her. Yeah, well. She hated awkward social situations, and this was definitely awkward. She was terrible at small talk. She hadn’t even found much satisfaction with Sloane Kelly’s annoyance of her being there. So Ryder drifted away to find Vidal.</p><p>“I believe he headed into one of the side rooms when we arrived, Pathfinder.”</p><p>Ryder frowned. “Let’s see what he’s up to.”</p><p>She ducked into the first side room she came across, but it was mostly empty - full of cleaning supplies and what looked horribly like a torture device. Not going to think too hard about that right now.</p><p>The next room she found was full of supply crates, and she immediately knew it was the right one from the cursing coming from the back corner of the room. “Damn it,” Reyes hissed, “Why can’t the serial numbers be in the same spot?” The sound of bottles clinking followed him as he rustled through a box.</p><p>Ryder crossed her arms over her chest as she made her way across the room. “Take the night off, come out for a drink. Should have known you were up to something.”</p><p>Reyes’ head popped up from behind a crate, his arms full of bottles and his eyes wide. “Shit. Ryder, it’s not what it looks like.”</p><p>Ryder quirked an eyebrow at him doubtfully. “So you didn’t use me as a distraction to go through Sloane’s stuff?”</p><p>To his credit, Reyes looked a little bashful. “Okay, okay yes. But it’s for both our benefit, I promise.”</p><p>His eyes were sparkling and Ryder’s stomach flip-flopped. God this man. She shook her head, trying not to laugh. “I hope you’re planning on sharing.”</p><p>His face split into a smirk. “Perhaps. I’ve been -” he stopped abruptly, turning towards the door. “Shit, someone’s coming. We need a distraction.”</p><p>Ryder glanced behind her. If one of Sloane’s guards found them rummaging through one of the side rooms, there would be no talking their way out of trouble. Even for a Pathfinder. </p><p>Ryder may have been annoyed at him, but that didn’t stop her from quickly closing the distance between them, grabbing his jacket roughly in her hands and kissing him hard on the mouth. Reyes’ surprise didn’t last long, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, closing the distance between them further. His tongue darted against her bottom lip before swirling into her mouth. Ryder couldn’t stop the little groan from erupting out of her throat as she clung to him, fisting his jacket with one hand and running her fingers through his hair with the other. She couldn’t admit how much she had thought about this in the last few weeks - of his lips, his tongue, his hands. God, she had even fantasized about pushing her fingers through his hair. </p><p>“Oh...uh...sorry.” The guard skittered out of the room as quickly as they had entered and Reyes pulled away, eyeing the door. </p><p> </p><p>“I think we’re in the clear.”</p><p>Ryder cocked her head to the side and playfully traced her fingers up his chest. “Are you sure? Maybe another kiss...just in case.”</p><p>Reyes grinned, his molten eyes dipping back to her lips. His grip tightened on her hip and Ryder’s breath caught in her throat as he moved to kiss her again. “Now you’re just teasing me.” He breathed the words against her skin and she felt a shiver of desire run up her spine.</p><p>But then he paused, his eyes darted back to the door, and he seemed to reconsider. “Let’s get out of here.”</p><p>He grabbed Ryder’s hand and pulled her out of Outcast HQ. She laughed and followed him, allowing herself to be steered toward the outskirts of Kadara Port. Soon, she found herself perched on the roof of a building, watching the sunset as she passed the bottle of whiskey back and forth with Reyes.</p><p>“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Vidal said softly, staring out into the horizon. “I sometimes forget.”</p><p>Ryder took a pull from the bottle and smiled. “You still haven’t shown me those magical lights after dark.”</p><p>Reyes grinned wickedly. “I can arrange that.”</p><p>She passed him the bottle, smirking back at him and leaned back on her elbows. “I could get used to this.”</p><p>Reyes hummed his agreement as he took a swig of whiskey. “Is Andromeda everything you hoped it would be?”</p><p>She hesitated before taking a drink. She thought of Scott, stuck in cryo in a coma. Of her father and Habitat 7. Of the failed settlements on Eos and the Kett. But then she thought of Podromos, and the excitement in the colonists eyes when she visited. She thought of meeting the Angara, her growing friendships with her crew. There had been so much hope when they left the Milky Way...and so much hardship since they had arrived.</p><p>The whiskey burned as she swallowed, and she relished the hints of vanilla, peat and sandalwood that washed over her tongue. She made an appreciative noise and sniffed at the bottle. Slowly, she replied, “It hasn’t been easy. But I knew it wouldn’t be when I signed up. Even when I’m dead tired, when nothing is going our way and I start to feel hopeless...I never regret coming here. Every day is an adventure.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Even my nights off are interesting.”</p><p>Reyes winked at her as she passed the bottle back to him. </p><p>“What about you?” she asked, “Why did you come here, Reyes?”</p><p>Reyes kicked his foot against the roof, taking a long moment to respond. He took a pull from the bottle, and stared out across the horizon, eyes distant. “To be someone.”</p><p>His voice cracked, just a little, as he said it. There was something in his voice that sounded so tired, so alone. She sat up and squeezed his hand gently. “You’re someone to me.”</p><p>He looked at her - really looked, studying her carefully. It felt as though he was looking within her, past her title and the Initiative, past someone who could get him what he needed and just saw...her. Sara. Suddenly it felt hard for her to breathe. When he spoke, his voice was breathy, as if he was having a hard time breathing too. “I’m starting to think that kiss was more than a distraction.” He reached for her, a gloved hand brushing across her cheek and wrapping around her neck. He kissed her, his lips brushing against hers gently, teasing. She surged into him, pressing him backwards against the rooftop, kissing him fiercely. He started to laugh and then cursed as his foot collided with the bottle of whiskey, sending it tumbling off of the roof. He surged forward, grabbing for it fruitlessly. “Sonuvabitch!”</p><p>But Ryder was grinning. A blue glow emanated from her as she lazily curled a finger and slowly, the precious bottle of whiskey floated back over the edge of the roof, settling gently against the gutter. Reyes chuckled. “I forget you’re a damned biotic.”</p><p>Ryder winked, her normally bright green eyes flashing with biotic blue, “Keep me around, I’m useful in a pinch.”</p><p>“I know it,” he said, his voice husky. She bit her lip, the warmth in his voice sending a wave of desire coiling through her belly.</p><p>Reyes pulled her to him, dragging her onto his lap and nuzzling at her neck, his teeth dragging across the soft skin just below her ear. She hissed, biting back a moan. “Fuck.” She clutched at his shoulders, gathering the cloth of his jacket into her palms and pulling him forward, searching for his lips.</p><p>She kissed him with heated fervor, pressing her tongue into his mouth. The taste of whiskey lingered in his mouth, along with a sweetness that was distinctly Reyes. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him. His fingers worked under the back of her clothes, pushing against her jacket and light shirt to find the delicate skin there. “Is there somewhere we can go?” she asked breathlessly as his fingers skimmed against her skin. “Somewhere more private?”</p><p>“Mmm,” he responded, kissing her again. “Yes. Not far.”</p><p>His small apartment truly wasn’t far: perhaps a five minute walk from their previous position. The door had barely closed behind them before he surged into her, thrusting her against the wall, his mouth devouring hers while his fingers traced up the soft skin of her back. She arched into him, kissing him back fervently as she gripped the back of his shirt, crushing his body to hers.</p><p>She worked her knee between his legs and he groaned against her mouth as she pressed against the growing hardness of his groin. She took his momentary distraction as an opportunity to nip playfully at his bottom lip. He hissed. “You wicked thing.”</p><p>Ryder smirked and pressed him backwards towards a couch while working his shirt up his torso. The back of his calves hit the couch and she tugged the shirt over his head, tossing it behind her as she pushed him onto the couch.</p><p>Reyes sprawled on the couch as if his change in position had been his idea. She bit her lip, enjoying the sight of Reyes sprawled before her on the couch, one arm dangling off the side of the couch while the other rested above his head. She imagined with excited anticipation his lithe body towering over her, his toned arms encircling her as he kissed her, their bodies crashing together...</p><p>“Fuck, Ryder,” Reyes growled, “Get over here.”</p><p>She grinned and closed the distance between them. He pulled her onto him, capturing her mouth with hot, needy kisses. She straddled his hips, one hand pressing lightly against his chest while the other tangled in his hair. She ground her hips against him, eliciting a delightful moan from his lips. She grinned into his mouth, grinding down into him again and again until she had him panting.</p><p>She pressed his back into the cushions, trailing kisses down his jaw, his neck and shoulders. She dragged her tongue across his clavicle, savouring the salty-sweetness of his skin. Reyes’ approval rumbled in his chest as he watched her enjoy him. His fingers coiled through her hair, gripping the short strands and pulling. Ryder’s eyes widened in surprise, but she didn’t resist as he pulled her head backwards. “You are wearing entirely too much clothing.”</p><p>Ryder smirked. “And what are you going to do about it?”</p><p>He tugged the shirt off of her with a growl, towering over her, and Ryder’s stomach knotted with desire, the images she had dreamt up a few moments ago flooded back into her mind. She bit her lip as he surveyed her, his eyes raking over. He surged forward again, his hot tongue raking across her skin, while his hands gripped her hips tightly. As he echoed her previous movements, tracing his tongue across her skin from hips to collarbone, heat coiled around her. He lapped and nibbled his way across her belly, his fingers finding their way under the waistband of her pants. His eyes met hers as his hand dipped beneath the fabric and she felt his fingernails tug against her underwear as he dipped lower. She squirmed as he cupped her cunt, fingertips playfully whispering against her underwear, sending shivers up her body. She bit back a moan as he removed his hand from her pants, walking his fingers up her belly. “God damn it,” she hissed and he chuckled against her skin.</p><p>Her fingers quickly found the button of her pants and she began working herself out of the damned restrictive garment while Reyes watched her, trying to cover his own desire with a smirk. She captured his gaze as she wriggled out of her pants, leaving only her simple black underwear on. His tongue darted out of his mouth, wetting his lips as he watched her hand dip beneath her underwear, slipping between the slick folds towards her clit. Her eyelids fluttered closed as she worked on herself, little gasps of pleasure escaping from her lips.</p><p>Reyes cursed and her eyes fluttered open as he captured her lips with his own. She could feel his cock pressing against her leg through his pants and she pressed her knee into his groin, eliciting an appreciative groan from him. She smiled against his lips and abandoned her ministrations on herself to undo his pants. He grunted as she slipped his cock free - he wasn’t wearing underwear, she noted - and gathered his length into her hand. His insistent kisses stuttered as she stroked the length of him and a half-whispered fuck left his lips.</p><p>As quickly as she had taken up his cock, she abandoned it, intent on readministering her own pleasure. But Reyes’ hand caught her wrist as her fingers began to dip beneath the waistband of her underwear again. He pinned her wrist against the cushions, his eyes deep pools of desire as he stared down at her.</p><p>“Really, Reyes,” she gasped as his teeth raked against her neck, “if you’re not going to allow me to -”</p><p>But she was cut short as he kissed her roughly, his tongue raking across hers. “No more talking,” he hissed, his voice husky with need. He pushed her legs off of his hips, untangling them. She started to sit up, but he held her down with one hand as the other pulled her underwear down around her knees. She started to speak again, but before she could, he pressed his face between her legs. She gasped as his tongue slid between her delicate folds, any words she had been about to say dying on her lips as heat coiled through her belly. </p><p>She keened as he worked on her, his relentless tongue exploring the slickness between her legs. She grasped the couch cushions, needing something, anything, to ground her. His shoulders worked her thighs further apart as he pressed himself deeper into her, his tongue finding her slit and lapping at her entrance. She threw her head back, moaning wantonly. She could feel, rather than hear, him laugh, making her head spin. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,” she gasped. Her brain could no longer process words: gibberish and curses fell from her lips nonsensically as he brought that sweet, delicate bundle of nerves into his mouth, working his tongue expertly around it.</p><p>Stars dotted her vision as every nerve in her body began to sing. She writhed beneath him and just as she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, he plunged first one, then a second, then a third finger into her core, curling his fingers to find that sweet spot within her. She screamed her pleasure as she came undone around him.</p><p>Slowly Reyes resurfaced, grinning as she rode the aftershocks of her orgasm. Obviously very pleased with himself, he watched Ryder’s heaving chest, her trembling limbs and began to slink up her body. He trailed light kisses across her sweat-soaked skin as she came back to herself. Slowly, she blinked, watching him as he explored her body again.</p><p>With a tenderness that she didn’t know he had in him, he trailed kisses up and down her arm. She sighed contentedly and his gaze flicked over to her. “Hi,” she breathed.</p><p>“Hello,” he murmured, placing a sweet kiss in the crook of her arm, “Are you alright?”</p><p>“More than alright,” her words came out in little more than a whisper. Her voice seemed to have disappeared.</p><p>“Good.” He seized her mouth again, wrapping a hand around her neck to pull her closer to him, his mouth desperate with desire. His tongue tasted of her cunt: the realization sent a jolt of heat right straight through her. She pressed into him, needing the distance between them to disappear. “Wait,” he grunted, “bed.”</p><p>She nodded and they clumsily untangled themselves. He lead her into a curtained off area of the room where a large slightly rumpled bed sat. She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Bring a lot of people back here, do you?”</p><p>He smirked in response and pulled her to him, searching for her lips. She kissed him as her fingers plucked at the closure of his pants. “Who gave you the idea that you could still be wearing pants? Take them off.”</p><p>He stepped backwards still smirking, and slowly began to remove the remainder of his clothing. His eyes didn’t leave hers as he undressed himself. Her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip as his pants fell to the ground, exposing him completely to her. He moved onto the bed almost lazily and chuckled as she appreciated him in his full naked glory: those long limbs, the toned torso and his bulging cock, framed by a mass of dark curls. “Enjoy the view?”</p><p>“Oh yes,” she purred. “You are gorgeous, Reyes.”</p><p>He didn’t have a witty response for that, temporarily struck dumb by her earnestness. It gave her the perfect opportunity to show him her appreciation as she peppered kisses across his ankles, up his calves and across his thighs. She nuzzled the soft skin between his thighs, purposefully ignoring the beautiful, erect cock, just begging for her to take it into her mouth. But as much as she desired to suck him dry, he wasn’t going to get it that easily.</p><p>She worked her way around his cock, fingers just brushing against the shaft as she went, teasing, but never fully grasping him. He moaned as her thumb brushed across the sensitive tip of his cock and she had to bite her lip to suppress a grin. “I wonder,” she pondered, “what you would do if I walked away right now.” She removed her hand and he growled with frustration. </p><p>He grunted, balling up the sheets in his hands. “Hmmm,” she murmured, her mouth hovering over his cock. Her tongue darted out of her mouth, brushing briefly against him and Reyes cursed. “Are you going to make me beg?”</p><p>Ryder laughed and grinned wickedly, “What a marvelous idea!” She leaned forward, her belly brushing against his swollen cock, eyes wide, “Tell me how much you want it, Reyes.”</p><p>She observed him carefully, watching his adams apple bob as he swallowed, noticing his tongue dart out and wet his lips, his eyes roam across her hungrily. Just as she thought he was going to relent, he surged forward, encircling his arms around her and flipping her onto her back. He pressed his cock into her thigh. “What I want,” he hissed in her ear, “is to bury my cock inside you. I want you to scream my name as I undo you.” He jerked his hips forward, rutting into her thigh and she bit the inside of her lip. “I want to ride you so hard that you never want me to stop.” He nipped at her shoulder, his hands pressing her hips deeper into the mattress. “I want this entire bar to hear you scream my name. How does that sound to you, Pathfinder?” Her title growling across his lips sent a shock of heat straight to her cunt. Ryder’s eyelids flickered half closed, her mind suddenly completely unable to form words.</p><p>“Well,” she gasped, clearing her throat to try to be herself some time to make her brain start to work again. The anticipation of what he was describing to her was setting her nerves on fire, yet he was barely touching her. “P-proceed, Mr. Vidal.”</p><p>He smirked and eased her thighs apart with a knee. “Just like that, Pathfinder?” His voice was low, almost dangerous. It sent a thrill through her. She bit her lip as he pressed his knee against her cunt, grinding against her clit. “Perhaps I should make you beg.”</p><p>She swallowed, trying to regain some composure so she could at least pretend to have some control over the situation. But Reyes’ patience was long gone. He didn’t wait for a response. Instead, he growled and flung her over onto her belly. Ryder grunted with surprise, but her grunt quickly turned into a sob as he buried himself inside her just as he promised. Slowly, agonizingly, he pulled out of her, leaving her gasping. She gripped the sheets, preparing herself for the next thrust, but it didn’t come. The tip of his cock pressed against her slit and he leaned over her, his words a growl in her ear, “Beg, Pathfinder.”</p><p>She groaned, trying to sheathe him inside her, but he held her hips firm. “Beg,” he repeated.</p><p>She closed her eyes, her limbs trembling from her desire, her breath coming out in short pants. “Please,” she gasped finally.</p><p>“Hmm? I didn’t hear you, Sara.” A hand snaked around her hips, gently sliding against the wet folds of her cunt, tantalizingly avoiding her swollen clit. She shuddered and tried to buck her hips into his hand, but he immediately pulled his hand away. </p><p>She could have sobbed with frustration. Instead she choked out, “Please, Reyes.”</p><p>His breath tickled her ear and she could hear the wicked grin in his voice, “Please, what?”</p><p>“Fuck me!” she cried, the words coming out in a rush, “Fuck me, Reyes, fuck me!”</p><p>Before the words even finished leaving her mouth, he rammed into her, leaving her gasping. His fingers found their way back to her clit as he pounded into her. Her head began to spin and she didn’t even notice the wanton shrieks he was producing from her as he buried himself inside her again and again and again.</p><p>“Scream for me,” he gasped, trying to keep his voice smooth but not succeeding. It came out raspy, choked full of want.</p><p>And as, for the second time that night, she came undone around him, she did. She cried out with ecstasy, screaming his name into the mattress as he continued to pound into her, holding her hips at just the right angle. Her orgasm washed into a second before she could catch her breath, her keens of pleasure echoing into the club. “Oh god,” she gasped, “Reyes, oh Reyes, fuck, Reyes, oh-”</p><p>His name on her lips as she convulsed around him pushed Reyes over the edge. With a groan, he spilled into her, barely able to keep himself upright. The sensation of his cum pulsing into her sent Ryder over the edge again with a guttural, wanton scream.</p><p>He collapsed over her, arms barely able to prop himself against the mattress. He pulled her to him and collapsed onto his side, panting, still fully sheathed inside her. She pressed into his body, needing to be close to him as the aftershocks of orgasm kept her trembling. “Holy shit,” she gasped.</p><p>Reyes chuckled and pressed a kiss into her neck. “Holy shit indeed.” He shifted, pulling out of her, and she immediately missed the feeling of being so intertwined, so full of him. Slowly, she turned to face him, nuzzling into his chest. He hummed contendly and wrapped an arm around her. “We are quite good at that,” he observed.</p><p>She peeked up at him and saw a wide grin spreading across his face and a glint in his eye. “Uh-oh.” She pushed back from him, “What are you plotting, Reyes?”</p><p>“I think I will have to find an excuse to keep you here, Pathfinder. For the good of Kadara, of course.”</p><p>Ryder laughed. “Oh, yes. Kadara needs me.”</p><p>He hummed his agreement. “After all, you want an outpost here, no? We will have to find a way to make that happen.”</p><p>“Hmm, yes. We’ll need to work closely together to ensure the Initiative has everything it needs.”</p><p>He nipped at her neck. “Promises, promises.”</p>
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